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@einen gieten betritt @ffice HENRY ROCK-WELL, OF NEW LONDON,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB. TO HIMSELF, HENRY L. BACON, AND JOHN H. LATHAM,OF THE SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 71,648, dated December 3, 1867.

IMPROVED SAFETY-STRAP FOB. BRIDLES.

TO ALILPERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS MAY COME:

Be it known that I, HENRY H. ROCKWELL, 0` the city and county of NewLondon', and State of Connectient, have made a new and usefulinvcntion,rihnving reference to bridles or headstalls, and which may betermed a. Safety-Strap or apparatus for checking or stopping a horse;and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the followingspecification, and represented in the accompanying drawing, whichexhibits a side view of it. I

In such drawing, A and B denote two leather or other straps connected bye buckle, a, fastened to one end 'of the shorter of such straps. On eachof the said straps is a disk, C, which muy be of leather or othersuitable material, and muy-slide on the strap. Each strap, at its outerend, has a. ring, D, fitstenefi to it.

The purpose of the above-described apparatus is to arrest a. horse, orprevent him/from running away, while being driven.,` In using it, bothstraps nre to be passed through the rings of a bit when in the mouth ofthe horse.- The longer one, after having been carried over the head orneck of thc horse, is' to be buckled to the shorter,'so as to bring boththe disks close up to the bit in order to support it. The driving-reinsare next to be buckled or fastened. to the rings of the straps. When therein or reins are pulled on, thebit will be drawn closely upward intothe mouth of the animal, and against the angles ot'junction of his lips,and thus he may be checked or stopped, als occasion may require. -4 vThe apparatus mayl constitute part oa. bridle or headstall, and be use dinstead of the ordinary bit-hangers thereof It should'be observed thatthe disks are for preventing the' bit from being pulled outof the mouthof the horse, or too lo'w therein.` The rings hold the-disks on thestraps, und also serve to enable the reins to be connected thereto. 4 lv When forming part of a riding-bridle or headstall of a harness, theapparatus may be made with a single strap to gofover the head of thehorse. I prefer, however, to construct it with two straps, as described,particui larly when it is to be used as auxiliary to a. bridle orheadstall.

I am aware of the subject of the United States Patent No. 43,308, andtherefore do not claim such. My invention differs therefrom infhavingdisks applied to the strap or straps and over the rings, whereby the bitis supported on strap or straps by such disks, and is prevented therebyfrom droppingtoo far in the mouthof the horse. The disks render commonbit-hangers unnecessary, and thereby greatly simplify the apparatusi A Itherefore claim the arrangement and combination 'of the disks with thestrap or straps and the reim-rings thereof, the said disks beingfor thepurpose and to operate as specied.

HENRY H. ROCKWELL. Witnesses:

i R. H. EDDY,

SAMUEL N. PIPER.

